2009 will see Christophe Bouchut mainly in action on the American continent. Although he will maintain one foot in Europe thanks to the Le Mans Series, most of his time will be spent in the United States, with a season of motorsport that looks to be both exciting and full of success. After a promising and educational start during the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, he is now ready to face a year that will mark a turning point in his long and fruitful career.

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series: Round 1 (24th- 25th January), Rolex 24 at Daytona : So close to an exceptional result!

After the excellent preliminary test sessions in early January, Christophe Bouchut was confident as he set off across the Atlantic to take part in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the 1st round of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports car Series, with brand-new team Level 5 Motorsports.

"Although it has been a few years since I last competed in Daytona, I was well prepared for the event, taking part in the preliminary test sessions both at the end of 2008 and earlier this year. In October, I set a new track record with a DP Daytona Prototype and, in early January, I set the best time on the Sunday, the third best over the three test days. So, with the whole team, bearing the colors of Supercar Life, and with my three team-mates-Scott Tucker, the team boss, Raphael Matos, who races in the IRL, and Ed Zabinski- we hoped that we would manage a good result in the sole 15-minute qualifying session, equivalent to ten laps of the track, where laps take around 1 minute 40. However, on my third lap, Tracy Krohn made a mistake coming out of a corner, and slightly damaged my rear wing. I came in to change it, but the Stewards did not let me rejoin, worried that I may lose bodywork. I was lying second when the accident happened, but had to be content with 10th by the end of the session, as the other drivers were easily able to improve their times as their tires warmed up, tire-warmers being banned by the regulations. We could have managed pole position- it'll have to wait for another time."

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